officiate
verb
of·fi·ci·ate
ə-ˈfi-shē-ˌāt 
officiated; officiating
1
: to perform a ceremony, function, or duty
officiate at a wedding
2
: to act in an official capacity : act as an official (as at a sports contest)
1
: to carry out (an official duty or function)
2
: to serve as a leader or celebrant of (a ceremony)
3
: to administer the rules of (a game or sport) especially as a referee or umpire
Examples of officiate in a Sentence
The bishop officiated the memorial Mass.
Two referees officiated the hockey game.
Recent Examples on the Web
During the ceremony, which was officiated by Rob McCoy and Dave Osokow, Liddell and Rae exchanged heartfelt vows and wedding rings from Happy Jewelers and Giantto.
—
Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
But the fan doesn’t have enforceable rights regarding how the team plays, how the games are coached or officiated or—in the case of Garcia—whether a player’s possible retirement somehow impacts the historical qualities of the game.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2025
This is now a rising, maturing team with enough mental toughness to put away bad opponents despite bad luck and maddening officiating.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
Other Auburn fans chose more emotive ways of showing their displeasure as the SEC officiating crew left the field through a corner tunnel at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday night.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for officiate
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Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
But the fan doesn’t have enforceable rights regarding how the team plays, how the games are coached or officiated or—in the case of Garcia—whether a player’s possible retirement somehow impacts the historical qualities of the game.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2025
This is now a rising, maturing team with enough mental toughness to put away bad opponents despite bad luck and maddening officiating.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
Other Auburn fans chose more emotive ways of showing their displeasure as the SEC officiating crew left the field through a corner tunnel at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday night.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for officiate
Cite this Entry
“Officiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/officiate. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
officiate
verb
of·fi·ci·ate
ə-ˈfish-ē-ˌāt
officiated; officiating
1
: to perform a ceremony
officiate at a wedding
2
: to act as an officer
officiated at the annual meeting
3
: to enforce the rules of (a game or sport)
officiate a soccer match
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